Kate Winslet had to accept that she couldn’t do it all in order to achieve happiness.
The actress, 48, weighed on the famed debate as she asked about how she balances her personal and professional life.
Speaking to Harper’s Bazaar UK she explained: ‘Self-care for me means just having time to just simply be, and having the time to be kind to myself.
‘As women, we try and keep up with the pace of our lives and we get frustrated if we haven’t managed to fit in doing some exercise or walking the dog for two hours or being there for every single sports day matches, drop off and pick up at school.
‘I’m going easy on myself knowing I simply can’t achieve all of those things – that’s becoming increasingly important to me.’
Kate Winslet weighed in on the ‘can women can have it all?’ debate as she revealed how she deals with mum guilt as a busy actress (pictured this month)
Kate, who is mother to Mia Threapleton, 23, Joe Mendes, 20, and Bear, 10, added: ‘Often I will feel at my most beautiful when I’m just relaxing. I’m working on achieving the relaxing thing more and more.’
It’s a philosophy that is shared by her good friend Emma Thompson, with Kate sharing that she offered her advice that has forever stuck with her.
‘When I was younger, she said to me: “Listen babe, just remember, it’s really important to do good work, but it’s really important not to work.” I’ve never forgotten that,’ Kate revealed.
The Oscar-winning star also spoke about how she treats her physical and mental wellbeing on equal par.
She explained: ‘Women get more beautiful as they get older. Our faces become more of who we are, they sit better on our bone structure, they have more life, more history.
‘Things I find incredibly beautiful are wrinkles around the eyes, the backs of hands.
‘But I also have learned it’s important to take care of yourself from the inside – not just how you eat and look after yourself from a nutritional standpoint, but how you look after yourself from a mental wellness standpoint; how you feel about yourself emotionally, physically, your place within the world, how you walk through the world, how you live with integrity and sincerity.
‘I think these things matter and these things come out in how we look, and of course in how we feel. Beauty is more of a feeling, [rather] than what we look at.’
Kate revealed she eased her mum guilt by realising it would be impossible to be there for ‘every single sports day matches, drop off and pick up at school’ (pictured with daughter Mia in 2001)
Yet over the years one of the most important things to Kate was learning to accept herself and use her voice to speak out on any injustice.
Kate reasoned: ‘We become more accepting of who we are and how our bodies and faces change, and how we learn from the lessons of life. We have to become more accepting of ourselves and other people.
‘When I first started out, it wasn’t the way around that women could have a voice and stand up for themselves.
‘It certainly wasn’t the case that you could ever flag something you were uncomfortable with, because that would be seen as complaining.
‘After MeToo and the last decade within our industry, we’ve seen a huge upswell over roles for women. There are a lot of very new actresses doing incredible work, and I think all of that really contributes to an exciting industry that is full of people who know how to use their voices, and that becomes inspiring for others.
‘Now, women are using their voices in a way that is remarkable, and that is how I too have learned my worth and how to use my voice.
Kate is currently on the promotional trail for Lee, a biographical drama telling the story of American ex-model Lee Miller who took photographs of poignant moments during World War II for Vogue magazine.
Starring Kate in the titular role, Lee also boasts Josh O’Connor, Marion Cotillard, Andy Samberg, and Alexander Skarsgard.
Lee premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2023 but will hit UK cinemas on September 13.
Kate stars in Lee, a biographical drama telling the story of American ex-model Lee Miller who took photographs of poignant moments during World War II for Vogue magazine